Las Cruces Public Schools: Tips to help colorblind people succeed at daily tasks

A few years back, my family was playing the card game Phase 10. Shortly into one hand, my colorblind brother laid down his hand of seven cards of one color. His cards, though, were a mix of two different colors. We all had a good laugh, then continued playing. We added a "color coach" for him for the rest of the game.

School nurses in New Mexico screen all children for color-vision deficiency in either kindergarten or first grade. Many other students are screened if a parent or teacher has a concern or if the student is part of the Special Education program. Color vision is screened using "plates" or pictures with numbers or shapes in colors on different backgrounds. The student verbalizes or traces the number or shape she or he sees. They are made so that people with color vision deficiency see a different number or shape than those with full-color vision.

The retina of our eyes have specialized cells called cones. These cones allow us to distinguish between different colors based on the color's wavelength. Different cones discern different colors — blue, red, and green — and then our brains combine the information received by these cones to allow us to see mixtures and shades of those colors, creating myriad other colors. Colorblindness is caused by a problem with these cones. It is generally an inherited condition that shows up more frequently in males than females. Certain diseases, medications, aging or exposure to certain chemicals can also cause colorblindness to develop.

We experience color-coding in almost every aspect of our lives — at school or work, driving a car, personal-organization systems, and even playing games. This starts as a young child when we learn that grass is green, apples are red and the sky is blue. In preschool and kindergarten, we color and sort blocks and have behavior charts that are color-coded. As we go through our schooling, we may need to color maps according to a legend, or create an organization system with certain color folders for different classes. Driver's education introduces us to colored traffic lights. Then in the work place, we use filing systems, read graphs and charts, go clothes shopping, and complete other daily tasks that require us to recognize colors.

For someone who is colorblind, these seemingly simple tasks can be stressful. Nobody likes to be wrong or have to re-do something. But there are things we can do to help ourselves if we are color blind, or to help people we know.

• Ensure that colored items also have another way to be identified, such as the name of the color printed on a crayon or marker.

• Memorize the order of color-coded alerts, such as traffic lights.

• Find another way to identify ripeness or readiness of food — especially important when deciding whether meat is cooked enough.

• Develop a labeling system to make matching clothing easier.

• Parents should make sure teachers that school staff knows about their child's colorblindness. Schools need to ensure colorblind students succeed in class.

• Be informed and be creative with solutions.

• Keep a sense of humor — even if you're accused of cheating in a card game!